Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tuesday Free Fiction

More good free fiction. I'm always amazed at how much good stuff is out there. More soonish.

Fiction
At Daily Science Fiction: "What the Sea Wants" by P. Djeli Clark. "A few would remember that wasn't exactly true and that a string of
shells circled his head like a crown, gleaming white in the light of the
descending sun. As he walked onto the beach no one said a word. The sea
after all, often brought in strange things."
At Lightspeed: "The Black Bird" by David Barr Kirtley. Fantasy. "The black bird on the mantelpiece spoke. It said, “Nevermore.” Spade
looked up from cleaning his pistol. The bird, a black-lacquered falcon
statuette, sat motionless. Spade placed the pistol down on his desk,
pushed back the brim of his hat, and approached the bird. “You talk?”"
At Lightspeed: "Nearly Departed" by Pat Cadigan. Science Fiction. “Three things,” I said, and held up a matching set of three fingers.
“One—” I curled my index finger. “I don’t do empaths. Two—” I bent my
ring finger. “I don’t get physical. Three—” I pointed the remaining
finger at the old fox on the other side of the desk. “I don’t rob
graves.”
At World SF Blog: "Valletta, City of Guilt" by Michael Vella. "The smell of thick bean soup made Mikiel’s mouth water as he crossed the
courtyard. The tray he carried bore the soup, a hunk of sourdough
bread, fresh goat’s cheese and an entire fresh sausage. Why do condemned
men get hearty meals, he thought, I’m lucky when I get a slice of
day-old bread with butter."

Audio Fiction
At LibriVox: "Beyond Lies the Wub & The Skull" by Philip K. Dick. Science Fiction. "Two
stories in the inimitable Philip Dick style. What is a Wub? A 400 pound
slovenly, fat, ungainly, drooling animal that looks like a cross
between a walrus and an enormous hog?"
At LibriVox: The Emerald City by L. Frank Baum. Children's Fantasy.
At Lightspeed: "The Black Bird" by David Barr Kirtley. Fantasy.
At PodCastle: Miniature #71 "We Clever Jacks" by By Greg van Eekhout. Fantasy.
At Protecting Project Pulps: “Conjuror of the Clouds” by Muriel A. Pollexfen. Adventure.
"He recalled the cry he strove in vain to stifle as he rushed like a
reckless boy to the window, ran, ruthless of the consequences, on to the
iron balcony where, hovering above, a dim shape swayed and
balanced—Gray Ghost!"